Fragmentation of tropical forests has changed continuous tropical landscapes into a network of poorly connected fragments, reducing population sizes and potentially increasing genetic isolation. This study quantifies genetic diversity within and among the 7 extant populations of the endangered tropical tree Guaiacum sanctum in Costa Rica. We describe how genetic diversity differs between popula...

Plants from the Nitraria genus, members of the Zygophyllaceae family, grow naturally in Europe, Africa, Australia and the central Asian desert. Previous pharmacological research has provided evidence that members of the Nitraria genus have numerous beneficial effects. In the present review, the pharmacological and phytochemical studies of Nitraria were presented and assessed. The review was wri...

The spatial distribution of individuals is a fundamental property of most species and constitutes essential information for the development of restoration and conservation strategies, especially for endangered plant species. In this paper we describe the spatial distribution of different size classes of the endangered tropical tree Guaiacum sanctum and the effect of canopy cover on spatial aggr...

Hoplitis bees of the Palaearctic subgenus Stenosmia (Megachilidae) inhabit deserts and semideserts between southern Spain and eastern Asia. They nest in excavated burrows in the soil and collect pollen from plant taxa that typically grow in desert areas, such as Frankenia (Frankeniaceae), Peganum (Nitrariaceae), Tamarix (Tamaricaceae) or Zygophyllum (Zygophyllaceae). The taxonomic revision of t...

Tribulus terrestris L., commonly called puncture vine and gokhru, is an important member of Zygophyllaceae. The species is highly important in context to therapeutic uses and provides important active principles responsible for treatment of various diseases and also used as tonic. It is widely distributed in tropical regions of India and the world. However, status of its genetic diversity remai...